NLC Demands ₦500,000 Minimum Wage As ₦70,000 Loses Value
By FATIMA HUSSAINI
THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is preparing to negotiate a new national minimum wage with the Federal Government.
The union says the current ₦70,000 wage can no longer sustain Nigerian workers.
NLC President Joe Ajaero disclosed this at the Rights of Workers Summit in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
Ajaero, who was represented by NLC Deputy President Audu Amba, said organised labour would soon commence discussions with the government.
He insisted that any new minimum wage below ₦500,000 would fail to meet workers’ basic needs.
“Anything less than ₦500,000 cannot cater for workers,” he said.
The demand comes as workers face rising food prices, transport costs, rent, electricity bills, healthcare expenses and school fees.
These pressures have steadily reduced the purchasing power of fixed-income earners.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) also backed the call for improved remuneration.
TUC President Festus Osifo, represented by Secretary-General Nuhu Toro, said worsening economic conditions had significantly weakened workers’ purchasing power.
Osifo urged employers to comply with labour laws and provide fair wages and better welfare packages.
The renewed wage debate also comes with pressure from civil society groups.
The Network of Abuja Left Groups wants Nigerians to support organised labour’s demand for a minimum wage of at least ₦500,000.
Six civil society and socialist organisations issued the call as the 11th August deadline approaches.
The groups described the dispute as more than a disagreement over public-sector salaries.
They framed it as a broader struggle over economic survival, purchasing power and human dignity.
According to them, higher wages could stimulate economic activity.
Workers with greater disposable income would have more money to spend on food, transportation, housing and other necessities.
Such spending could also increase patronage for farmers, traders, transport operators, artisans, landlords and small businesses.
The groups argued that the present cost of living has made the existing wage increasingly inadequate.
Food prices have climbed.
Transport fares have risen.
Electricity and cooking gas remain major household expenses.
Rent, medicines and school fees have also placed additional pressure on families.
Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris expressed support for better wages.
He said Nigerian workers deserved improved welfare and promised to support efforts to secure better remuneration.
As negotiations approach, the ₦500,000 demand is likely to become a major point of discussion between labour and government.
The size of the proposed increase also presents a significant fiscal challenge.
Government authorities will have to weigh workers’ welfare against the financial capacity of employers, states and other institutions affected by the national wage structure.
Labour, however, maintains that the present economic realities leave workers with little room for compromise.
The coming negotiations will therefore test the ability of government, labour and employers to find a wage structure that protects workers without creating unsustainable financial pressures.
For millions of Nigerian workers, the central issue is purchasing power.
The question is no longer simply how much appears on a payslip.
It is what that income can actually buy at the end of each month.
